Look, We’ve Got a Problem
I’m gonna say something controversial. We’re all to blame for the misinformation mess. Yeah, you heard me. I’m not just talking about the usual suspects—politicians, media outlets, or those shady Facebook groups. I’m talking about you, me, and that guy who thinks he’s a journalist because he’s got a Twitter account.
I’ve been editing for 21 years, and I’ve seen it all. The decline of local news, the rise of clickbait, the aquisition of journalism by tech giants. But the thing that keeps me up at night isn’t just the big stuff. It’s the small, everyday ways we all contribute to the problem.
It Started with a Whisper
Last Tuesday, I was at a conference in Austin. Over coffee at the place on 5th, a colleague named Dave leaned in and said, “You know, I think we’re losing the plot.” I asked him what he meant. He told me, “It’s the whispers. The little lies we tell ourselves and each other. They add up.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough. I mean, when did it become okay to share that dodgy statistic without checking it first? Or to post that outrageous headline without reading the article? We’re all guilty of it. And it’s getting worse.
The Algorithm Isn’t Helping
Let’s talk about algorithms for a second. They’re not the root of all evil, but they’re not exactly angels either. They feed us what we want to see, what keeps us engaged. And what keeps us engaged? Outrage. Controversy. Misinformation.
I remember talking to a friend named Marcus about this. He’s a tech guy, works for one of those big companies. I said, “You guys are making it worse.” He looked at me, all serious, and said, “We’re just giving people what they want.” I said, “But what if what they want is bad for them?” He just shrugged. “That’s not our call to make.”
Honestly, that conversation stuck with me. It’s like we’re all just passengers on this runaway train, and nobody’s got the guts to pull the brake.
And Then There’s the Commitment Issue
We’ve got a commitment issue, folks. We want the news to be good, but we don’t want to pay for it. We want journalists to be thorough, but we don’t want to read past the headline. We want the truth, but we don’t want to fact-check.
I get it. Life’s busy. But this is important stuff. We’re talking about the very fabric of our society here. And we’re letting it unravel because we can’t be bothered to care enough to do something about it.
Look, I’m not saying we all need to become journalists. But we do need to start taking responsibility. For what we share, for what we believe, for what we demand from our news sources.
A Quick Detour: The Weather
Speaking of taking responsibility, let’s talk about the weather. No, really. Hear me out. We’re all so quick to blame the weather for our problems. “Oh, it’s raining, so I can’t go out.” “It’s too hot, I can’t concentrate.” But when was the last time you checked the forecast before complaining about it? Probably never. Just like how we share news without checking the source.
It’s the same mentality. We want to be outraged, we want to complain, but we don’t want to do the legwork. It’s lazy. And it’s making us all dumber.
So What Can We Do?
First, we need to start demanding better. From ourselves, from our friends, from our news sources. We need to ask questions, to dig deeper, to think critically. And we need to be willing to walk away from sources that don’t meet our standards.
Second, we need to support quality journalism. That means paying for news, even if it’s just a few pounds a month. It means sharing articles from reputable sources, not just the ones that confirm our biases. And it means calling out misinformation when we see it, even if it’s coming from someone we like.
Third, we need to educate ourselves. About how news works, about how algorithms shape our feeds, about how to spot misinformation. There are resources out there, like current affairs analysis update, that can help. We just need to be willing to put in the effort.
It’s not gonna be easy. It’s gonna take time, and effort, and probably a few uncomfortable conversations. But it’s necessary. Because the alternative is a world where we can’t agree on basic facts, where truth is whatever we want it to be. And that’s a world I don’t want to live in.
So let’s start taking responsibility. For our actions, for our beliefs, for our news. Because the future of journalism—and of our society—depends on it.
And honestly, I’m not sure we’re up to the task. But we owe it to ourselves to try.
About the Author
Sarah McKenzie has been a senior magazine editor for over 20 years, working with major publications across the UK. She’s opinionated, passionate, and not afraid to call out BS when she sees it. When she’s not editing, you can find her arguing about politics on Twitter or trying to convince her cat that she’s the one in charge.
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